The Stick Problem
by Cobrastar
Summary: When Jayfeather does the unnatural, how will Half-Moon react?


**Alrighty, here's my first AU request for ASoBS!**

 **Spoilers on 'Sign of the Moon,' the fourth installment to the Omen of the Stars arc.**

 **Happy Birthday to me... I'm 16! :D**

 **Enough chit-chat!**

 **Onwards!**

Jayfeather padded silently along the mouth of the cave he'd come out a half moon ago. He was in the past, before the Clans were formed, before the Tribe of Rushing Water had been thought of. He had just been told by Rock that he couldn't stay in the past, because he was needed in his time, without Half Moon, the cat who loved him as Jay's Wing. He didn't see why he had to tell him that, he didn't love her as a mate; to him, she was just a... special friend. He had too much to worry about, the greencough epidemic that had stricken ThunderClan, the devastating truth about his own birth, for StarClan's sake, he was a medicine cat! But these cats had no idea what a medicine cat was, and they were too daft to know what medicine in general was; besides, Half Moon would think he'd gone mad if he refused to be his mate for that reason. So he didn't even bother.

Jayfeather's thoughts drifted to something else, something much more fulfilling to think about. The Stick. Rock, an ancient, ugly bald cat, had marked The Stick every time one went through the Trial Caves to become a sharpclaw, the term the Ancients used in place of being a warrior, for all of his natural and cursed immortal life until it was obsolete; Jaypaw, Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Breezepaw had caused him to mark The Stick for the last time. He put a line for each cat that went in there, and crossed a cat's line if they didn't make it out. This, paired with the whispers Jayfeather had heard whenever he stroked The Stick's marks, completely enraptured him, he spent all of his free time pondering over The Stick and its mysteries. Embarrassingly, Jayfeather recalled all the nights he'd spent by the stream, cuddling with The Stick, stroking its smooth surface and feeling it's rough marks, listening to each breath the different cats had to say. Eventually, he took special notice to mates in his Clan, especially Brackenfur and Sorreltail, and how in love they were with each, and he'd studied how interaction was between two mates. Jayfeather had then felt a deep loneliness inside of him, and he had known exactly where to take himself. He started to whisper to The Stick during his nightly visitations, instead of the cats whispering to him, testing out his love capacities. He remembered all the things he'd said to The Stick, and he felt his fur grow uncomfortably hot. He'd said some very strong words to The Stick, including how much he loved it and how happy he was with it. Even worse, it was only Sorreltail's submissive words he felt comfortable saying. He even took it a step further and licked The Stick, grooming it the best way he knew how, going off of what he observed how Sorreltail groomed. It was pleasingly uncomfortable; he felt like his Stick needed and extra shine every once in a while. The whole exchange was completely disgraceful.

But Jayfeather loved The Stick.

He snapped back to reality when he heard a voice calling his Ancient name. Irrationally thinking it was his Stick, he turned around eagerly, but was disappointed to find Half Moon padding towards him with fresh-kill in his mouth. She set it down and met his blue gaze with her green eyes. For a moment, Jayfeather was taken aback by her pretty white form, and he could clearly see why Rock had to warn him about falling in love with Half Moon.

But he already, sort of, had a love.

"Hey, Jay's Wing," Half Moon mewed, "I caught this for us to share. We need all of our strength if we're to make the trip to the mountains."

Jayfeather gulped. The cats had 'Casted Stones,' which was their voting system, on whether the group would stay in their home, or move to the mountains that Jay's Wing envisioned. As a whole, they were completely divided down the middle, until Jayfeather's final stone had cast the cats' paths to the stony cave above, which would become The Tribe of Rushing Water.

"Thank you," he meowed back. They both ate in silence, and Jayfeather was uncomfortably aware of how close Half Moon was to his flank. Her scent enveloped him. Yes, he could definitely see why Rock warned him about falling in love with her. Half Moon was very attractive, and he liked her a lot.

But he knew where his loyalties lay, no matter how guilty that made him feel.

They finished the prey, which was still good on his lips, and turned to see the cats heading up the slope. He motioned Half Moon with a flick of his tail, and Jayfeather and Half Moon walked together, pelts brushing. Suddenly, a patch of ginger bumped Half Moon and knocked her to Jayfeather, who cushioned her fall. She took off after the cat, yowling with feigned rage. It was an amusing sight to see, Jayfeather had to admit, and he snorted.

'It's time to leave."

Jayfeather yipped in alarm and spun around to see Rock standing right behind him. His hackles lowered, and he dipped his head. "Of course. Let's leave."

Rock hesitated. "Thank you for giving Half Moon up. You have saved the future of the Clans in doing this."

Jayfeather shrugged. "It wouldn't have worked out, anyway," he mewed. Rock started to fade away, and, along with it, the Ancient world that Jay's Wing lived in.

"Half Moon, you must understand."

Jayfeather waited anxiously for Half Moon's response in the dark cave, the Cave of Pointed Stones. He'd come back from the future to appoint Half Moon, as he'd just come to find out, as the first Stoneteller. And it was proving to be a rather difficult task.

Half Moon snorted. "Just because I looked into a puddle and said what I thought doesn't mean anything." she hissed. "I can't do this. Broken Shadows would make a better leader, and she's still sniveling over Fallen Leaves." Jayfeather winced. Fallen Leaves, Broken Shadow's son, had been lost in the Trial Caves when they flooded, drowning him in the water, and Broken Shadows was still heartbroken over her son.

"How could you be so heartless to say that?" Jayfeather snarled. "That's just a mother's natural response. Not that you'd know any time soon, because Healers don't have kits! You have a great destiny ahead of you, and this is how you treat it?"

He knew from the moment he shut his trap that he'd stepped over a line. Half Moon's face was horrified. "Never... have kits?" she whimpered. "Jay's Wing... I... how could you do this to me? I love you! I wanted a family! And now you're telling me I can't?" her voice faltered.

Jayfeather rested his tail tip on her shoulder. "It is your destiny." In a gentler voice, he added, "I'm what's called a medicine cat by our ancestors, and they can't have kits, either. It wouldn't have worked out anyway."

Half Moon's voice was anguished. "But... do you love me? Jay's Wing, we could still be mates. It could work, right?" She looked up, green eyes shimmering pools of hope.

Jayfeather flinched. He'd hoped she didn't ask this. He sighed. "No, Half Moon," he mewed. "It can't."

Her face changed from shock, to anger, and then to sadness. "Why?" her mew cracked like a kit's.

Jayfeather silently raged on the inside. He knew just why, but he didn't want to tell. But he couldn't hide the truth from Half Moon. "I love... another." He meowed his words carefully.

"What? What other she-cat could possibly love you as I do?" Her pelt bristled in rage, and hurt flashed in her eyes. Jayfeather knew just why, but couldn't help but wonder if he could have loved her.

He decided he could have, but he loved-

"It's not a she-cat." He, once again, guarded his words.

Her green eyes darkened. "Oh, Jay's Wing," she whispered, and Jayfeather was surprised to hear a condescending ring in her voice. "How could you love a tom-"

"Hey, who said anything about that?" Jayfeather interrupted, the back of his spine prickling. "It's not a tom, either."

"Then what, Jay's Wing?" she snapped. "Stop talking in riddles!"

"I'm in love with The Stick of Sharpclaws!"

His voice cracked at the end, and his yowl echoed embarrassingly loud throughout the tunnel. Jayfeather was shaking now. There it was, out and for the whole world to know.

To Jayfeather's dismay, Half Moon started to giggle, eyes glittering with amusement. She tried vainly to stifle the movements of her body, but she couldn't control herself, and started laughing.

"What?" He asked, face growing hotter by the moment. He knew exactly what, but he needed to ask.

"You... in love... with a stick? Rock's stick?" She was hysterical now, rolling all over the stones, and Jayfeather used all his energy not to leap out and shut her up.

Suddenly, a flash of light gleamed over the surface of the pool of water, moon full and bright. A cold breeze ruffled their fur.

"Quickly!" he hissed. "Look into the water!"

The desperation must have shown in his voice, because Half Moon just nodded and tottered to the edge and looked into it. Her eyes were questioning, then grew wider by the second. Eventually, her mouth dropped open, and she finally broke away from the pool, staggering away from the pool, fear scent unquestionable.

"What is it?" Jayfeather interrogated. "Are we in trouble?"

"It showed me you."

The words, though almost unheard, made him shiver.

"And the stick," she added. "And you... caressing it... and..." she trailed off, gazing into the distance; she didn't need to finish. Jayfeather's pelt scorched with shame. Abruptly, she turned her head toward Jayfeather. "Okay, what do I do to become the Healer?"

Her words caught him off guard. He looked up sharply, and was surprised at how she'd changed in the past second. She held herself higher and stronger, and any cat could tell by her calculating eyes that she was Healer. But he was panged by a claw of sorrow at the lack of emotion in her green eyes, the eyes that had once glowed with love for him.

He dipped his head. "You must only accept the position. Half Moon, From this moment on, you will be known as the Teller of the Pointed Stones. Others will come after you, moon upon moon upon moon. Choose them well, train them well, and trust the future of your Tribe to them."

She nodded. "I will. Go now, Jay's Wing, to your precious stick. I never want to see you again. You sicken me."

Claws raked his heart. "Yes, Stoneteller. I wish you a happy life." Before he could hear the response, he felt himself fade away from the Ancients forever.

XXX

Jayfeather curled up by The Stick. It was just after the Great Battle, and he hadn't talked to his Stick very much, but let the soothing voices of The Stick rock him to sleep.

Buy he had to talk to something.

"My Stick," he whispered, "I love you. You're a really good mate." he snuggled the smooth, hard surface and ran his tail down the markings for the millionth time. "We will live happy together, I just know it. And our kits, I can name them Twig, for you, and one of them Branch, for you. Maybe Bird for me," he added meekly.

Suddenly the whispers grew louder. Jayfeather clearly heard, in many different voices:

We love you, too, Jayfeather. We always will. The names for our kits will be what you chose, all three of the darlings. You chose some pretty frikin' lit names, bro."

Jayfeather, being lulled into sleep, wrapped himself around The Stick, and felt the pelts of many cats wrap around him; as dizzying blackness took him, he could have sworn he felt a familiar pelt against his flank.

Half Moon?

 **Oh. My. LANTA!**

 **I really enjoyed writing this XD**

 **I had no idea where this was going, until I started writing it tonight. I'm so bad!**

 **Anyway, R &R! How do you feel about a Hurt/Comfort one-shot between Crookedstar/Rainflower? And maybe a Comfort one-shot between Hollyleaf and Leafpool/Lionblaze/Jayfeather?**

 **See ya,**

 **Cobra~**

 **Wanted to keep these reviews:**

 **A Sky of Blazing Stars chapter 2 . Dec 6, 2017  
Oh! This is lovely.  
Happy birthday to you, Cobra, and have a good 16th!  
I'm interested in Crookedstar and all the others.  
Update soon! **

**A Sky of Blazing Stars chapter 1 . Nov 27, 2017  
Ooh. I got one for you.  
Do Jayfeather, Half Moon, and wait for it... the stick!  
Make Jayfeather love the stick more than Half Moon.  
**


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